


Call of the Sapphires

by handlewithkara



Category: Green Lantern: The Animated Series, Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alien Culture, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Hopeful Ending, Mind Control, Telepathy, True Love's Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:22:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26325598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/handlewithkara/pseuds/handlewithkara
Summary: "Kara Zor-El, Last Daughter of Krypton, you have lost your true love. The Star Sapphires offer to make your heart whole again, to reunite you, to make you one of our own. Join us."Supergirl receives a mysterious message from across time and space.Based on the episode In Love and War from Green Lantern: The Animated Series
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Mon-El
Comments: 34
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> All the thanks to AndromedaSmith for beta reading!

“What are we going to do, mother?” The young Sapphire princess bounced uneasily. She hung her head and looked down on the glowing pink ring on her finger. “I’ve already shown him the Balcony of Dreams, but he evades me. He’s still distraught, trying to connect with his comrades.”

The young girl’s mother gritted her teeth. “I don’t understand, you should be getting through to him, Ghia'ta. It doesn’t make any sense.” Aga'po swiped through the air. The glowing orb expanded, showing her the balcony and her unsuspecting guest. The Daxamite had risen from the soft cushioned sofa. Still in a daze, he had started to pace, unsure in his step.

The queen closed her eyes and focused. The Sapphire energy around her glowed brightly. The orb expanded, showing short subtle flashes. The face of a woman. Tears in her eyes. Joy and pain. _I love you. I should have said it before._ The queen shivered, a light nausea threatening to rise in her stomach as the borrowed feelings overcame her. She steadied herself. This issue was too important to tread lightly.

“He’s hanging on just by a thread. Imagine what we could do… I’ve never seen anybody more powerful. Not even when the Lanterns arrived.” Aga'po looked to her daughter. “This could be the last push we need to get through.” Her voice turned sharp. “We have to have him, Ghia'ta. Rejoin him at once and watch over him. If not through you, I shall summon his other part.”

“Yes, mother.”

Turning her attention back to the glowing pillar in front of her, Aga'po sent out the power of her ring. Small sparks of glowing pink surrounded the image of the Daxamite like glowflies. More pain, more joy. The smile of a beautiful woman with a playful bounce in her step and a crooked smile. The queen frowned. Why was she not getting through? All she had to do was to follow the threads of energy and relink them, connect them through time and space. Once more the seeing orb expanded, showing her the image of a seemingly peaceful planet all alone in space. And yet, as much as the queen focused her thoughts, she came up empty.

Had the Daxamite’s love perished? Aga'po knew the taste of loss through death. That hadn’t been it. What was the Daxamite hiding from her? The pink mist in front of her wavered and twirled, but refused to take form.

Aga'po gritted her teeth and pushed harder, trying to grasp the thin thread of love she sensed and follow it. Her irisless blue eyes twitched. There it was. The strain bent, to a different world, no, a different time. Her mouth curled into a smile. So this was the key to the mystery the Legionnaire had provided. It couldn’t hide from her. It was upon her, her gift to wield love’s fearsome power.

At last the mist obeyed, springing forth her messenger, a small, purple ring. It glowed and as it floated ever gently down into her outstretched hand. The queen’s brow furrowed. Something like this had never been tried before. Earth was already in a completely different sector from their home world. The dangers of disassociation after such a long trip were very real. And a transport not only through space but also time? The side effects were unforeseeable.

And yet… she had no choice to but to risk it. If the transference took the life of this stranger from another time, it would weigh on her. But she could taste the power of her visitors and her responsibility towards the people of her sector could not be denied. Aga'po sent off a prayer to the three spheres.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kara Danvers pushed her way into her apartment. Home at last. With a yawn, she threw her bag unto the couch as she made her way straight to the fridge. Even though it was freshly filled, nothing struck her fancy. Instead she eyed the colorful flyers pinned to the fridge door. Ordering in, again? It would be the third time this week and she wasn’t made out of money. Her stomach rumbled though at the sight of tasty potstickers taunting her.

No! She had to resist. The Kryptonian super heroine threw her fridge door shut emphatically and waltzed over to her couch, dropping down on it. Absentmindedly, she started to fiddle with the buttons on her vest as she contemplated her options, the events of her workday still rattling through her brain.

Kara sighed and rubbed her temples. Food. Read up on the news. Check in with Alex. Maybe catch up on a movie while chatting with Lena. That was the plan for the rest of the evening.

The Kryptonian froze.

Something was different. The texture of the air had shifted. A subtle hum reverberated through the apartment.

Slowly she opened her eyes. Crap. What was that? A strange light was floating right in front of her.

Instantly alert, Kara jumped to her feet and scrambled for her phone. “Alex? There’s something going on. Something is trying to come into my apartment.”

“What is it? Should I send Dreamer?”

“I don’t know.” Kara stepped closer. “Right now it’s just a shimmering little glowy thingie.” In fact, the pink ball of light looked almost friendly as far as surprising invaders to her apartment were concerned. She looked closer.

“Be careful.” Knowing her sister Alex added “Don’t touch it.” Kara instantly dropped her hand, the one that had already been halfway to poking at the strange apparition. “I’ll send somebody in at once.”

The connection started to crackle and went dead. The rose-colored, pulsating spec of light expanded into a brilliant portal, manifesting right in front of her. Out of it, a pink ring floated. Kara’s mouth opened in surprise. It reminded her of the Legion Ring Mon-El had gifted her, formed more like a sigil rather than a piece of jewelry. Through the pink glow, Kara spied the emblem of a star embossed on it. It didn’t look dangerous. Maybe somebody was trying to contact her? It wouldn’t be the first time something like that had happened. She stood up straight and placed her hands on her hips. “What do you want?” she called out commandingly.

The floating ring stopped, vibrating in the air. The pink glow around it pulsed and suddenly, Kara could hear a voice reverberate through her head. It was a gentle voice. Female. Soothing, with the barest hint of a faraway echo.

_Kara Zor-El, Last Daughter of Krypton, you have lost your true love. The Star Sapphires offer to make your heart whole again, to reunite you, to make you one of our own. Join us._

Kara’s frowned. She felt her face grow pale. This wasn’t exactly the typical call for help. “What are you talking about?”

In lieu of an answer, the ring just pulsed gently, its warm energy filling the room.

Kara raised her hand to touch it. As if in silent agreement it flew towards her. Kara blinked as the ring slipped itself onto her finger. A spark of energy traveled up her arm. In front of her very eyes, the glow enveloped her, manifesting fabric wherever it went, transmogrifying the clothes she was wearing. In barely the blink of an eye, her CatCo work outfit had changed into a skintight, elastic white and pink one-piece, the shape of a white star forming around her belly button. Long black boots covered her legs up to her thighs. A purple winged mask applied itself to her face. She was enveloped in the soft purple glow. It all felt very soft and dainty.

Wherever the fabric touched her skin, a small tingle of energy emanated, heating up her blood. Kara’s heart thumped in her chest as she eyed the glowing portal with suspicion. The alien energy was making her feel woozy. She swayed lightly as she floated in the air, hovering barely two inches over the apartment floor. The pink vortex grew, expanding into a human-sized portal that seemed to be drawing her in. She could see stars blinking on the other side of it. Suddenly the soft melodious voice was back in her head.

_We are the Star Sapphires. Follow us. We will make you one of our own. We need you._

Kara licked her lips. Her heart thundered on. Whatever the strange apparition meant, it probably boiled down to somebody being in trouble.


	2. Chapter 2

Kara stepped out of the portal. Purple mists obscured her vision.

“Kara?” 

That voice. She knew that voice. 

Kara blinked. The mist cleared away slowly. Towering alien shapes arose in front of her. Wherever >here< was, it probably wasn’t earth. She stood on a majestic concrete alcove. At its center an extravagant divan took center stage. And in front of it… 

“Mon-El?” 

Her hands trembled and her heart leapt. All of sudden, all the emotions she had been burying inside bubbled to the surface. “Mon-El!” she called out again. Could it be him? In a flash she was in front of him and flung her arms around his neck. It was him. She could feel the heft of his body. Kara closed her eyes. Relishing the moment of closeness. 

“What, how?” Mon-El stammered. She could feel his hand rest lightly on her back. Kara pulled away. “I don’t know. But I’m here, you are here! They brought me to you.”

The ring pulsed, as if to warn her of danger. A shadow fell on her. A slender young girl with purplish skin appeared behind Mon-El, carrying a tray with two long stemmed glasses. “Hello?” she asked. 

Kara stared at her. Realization kicked in. 

“You!” Heat and anger blazed through Kara’s veins, the most rare pain of love. “I should have known! You never changed, did you?” The purple energy around her flared up like a living flame. With an angry shove, she pushed Mon-El away. Heat. Anger. Everywhere. Flowing through her veins. She was pure, unshackled intensity, her emotions exploding outwards, unimpeded by restraint. Without her making a conscious effort, the ring on her finger glowed bright and the energy formed sharp blades extending from her hands. 

“Kara, listen to me!”

Kara’s eyes glowed with an unearthly light. “Why are you here?” A cry of brutal vengeance tore from her throat. 

“Kara, we came here on a mission. This whole sector is in danger. The Legion has been tracking the Anti-Monitor and his army of Manhunter robots…”

“Liar!” Kara’s punch split the ground. “Is that why you need to have yet another girl rubbing herself all over you. Doesn’t look like work to me!” Her eyes flashed with blue and purple energy and before she knew it her heat vision hit Mon-El square in the chest, sending him flying. “All this time I thought you were too good, too honorable, and now I find you here? Like this? How many more hearts are you going to break? How many promises? How many more?”

Mon-El’s body was thrown back, black smoke emanating from his red Legion suit. He stared at her in horror.

“I pitied you!” Kara screamed. “I felt for you! I wanted you to be happy! It was all a lie, wasn’t it? All of it.”

“No! Stop, please!” The alien girl yelled, launching herself at Kara and grabbing her arm. “You are suffering delirium from your transport. We Star Sapphires are beings of love! Stand down!”

Kara shook the girl off with a casual gesture, another to send her skidding along the floor. “I will ignore you, for you have also been deceived,” she said coldly. Kara turned her attention back to her prey, slowly stalking closer. “Stay down, Daxamite! I will make sure you never steal another heart again.” 

The ring. She had been brought here for a reason. The alien power flowed through her, mixing with her own, focusing her emotions, showing her the way with new lucidity. 

“I thought you were off, being a hero! And here you’ve been having a great old time, partying with the next best girl that comes along!”

Mon-El slowly scrambled to his feet, his palms open to her. “Kara, please, listen to yourself. I know you don’t want this. You don’t want to hurt anybody. Something is messing with your mind.”

He was trying to deceive her again. Kara wouldn’t fall for it, not again. “I’m clearer now,” she roared, “clearer than I’ve ever been. You did this to me! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Sapphire queen recoiled. She whipped around, seeking her first adjutant’s eyes. “This was a grave mistake. I’ve never seen anybody so strong, but she is without control. Her passions are going to destroy the planet!”

Zaratta nodded. They had seen the ring overwhelm its wearer in the initial period of transition, especially after such an arduous journey, but nothing like this. Then again, no transport like this had ever been attempted. If the queen’s second disapproved, her loyalty was great enough to keep her tongue silent. Her Sapphire guards took flight, gripping their power staffs. 

Aga'po’s eyes darted back onto the viewing sphere. Inside the purple orb, the Kryptonian, hovering high in the air, had grabbed her Daxamite mate by the collar. Her eyes burning with anger, she raised him and flung him in a powerful arc. His body hit the ground in an explosion of debris, skidding along the floor till it came to a halt. The Kryptonian yowled and took after him, crashing into his chest, the force of impact hurtling them through the wall. 

Aga'po grabbed Zaratta’s arm. 

“No, wait. She’s taking him to just the right place. We must stand back and let providence take its course.” She hesitated. “But stay watchful. My daughter is down there as well.”


	3. Chapter 3

They smashed into a giant dome, shards raining down around them. Grabbing him by the collar, Kara threw Mon-El. He sailed into a crystal pillar and she immediately set off after him. She tasted a tinge of blood in her mouth; her very bones ached as if she felt on herself the blows he was receiving. The ring on her finger glowed mysteriously.

Mon-El raised his arms to deflect her blows. “Please, this isn’t you!”

She wouldn’t hear him. The purple energy buzzed around her, giving form to her every intent. It formed a majestic purple lion around her, shaking its mane, baring its teeth. The image fell apart, being replaced by a mess of gangly vines.

Mon-El darted upwards, but the vines shot down like piercing arrows, stopping his ascent. Kara vaulted after him. She threw him up against the wall, pinning him. His hand closed around her arm. His fingers disappeared in the mysterious glow that enveloped her body.

“Kara,” Mon-El croaked. His face was pale. He struggled, but couldn’t move away from her. Slowly her hand closed around his neck. His lips were moving but no sound came out. Kara stared at him. His familiar gray eyes lost their focus. Kara froze.

“No.” _That’s not what I want._

“No,” she repeated, the words leaving her mouth slowly. “This, this isn’t right.” A strange crinkling sound and reached her ears. Kara looked down. Around Mon-El’s feet a mass of pink crystals had formed and was growing upwards. What, what was that? Kara’s gaze veered off to the side.

Crystals.

Everywhere.

Pink. Translucent. Hundreds of them.

Each crystal contained some sort of dark shape. A humanoid shape. This was a prison.

Kara’s fingers slackened. Her hand dropped from Mon-El’s throat. “Somebody, they, these people have captured them. All of them.” Her gaze moved back onto Mon-El’s familiar face. “But why?”

“I don’t know,” he coughed. “I think they must be trying to harness them in some way.”

“Yes.” Her eyes widened. “Harness their strength.” Whatever these crystals were made of, they were already draining the color of his skin. He was shivering. And the glow emanating from her ring was feeding right into the crystal, communicating with it.

“Mon-El!”

Kara’s will faltered. Her hands were shaking. “This ring. It’s doing something to me. I can’t control it. I don’t know what to do.”

Mon-El’s eyes lit up with relief to see her on his side again. “Focus, Kara. You can pull through this.”

“I don’t know if I can. It’s holding me.”

“If you can’t break through the control, then please find, find Shalima and Ixi and tell them. Don’t worry about me. Tell the Legion that they have to get back to the outpost. Save them, Kara. It’s okay, Kara, it’s okay.”

“No. No.” Kara shook her head vehemently. “I’m not leaving.”

“Please, let me go.”

“I can’t. Not again. Never again.”

“Kara…”

His voice..., it was weakening.

“I’m a failure,” Kara whispered. Her emotions were collapsing in on her, overtaking her like a tidal wave, unmooring anything she had kept hidden. “I let go of you. I lost you. I gave you up.” Pain flared through her. Her finger carrying the ring—her entire hand —was burning.

“You did the right thing,” Mon-El implored her. “You saved people. You saved your home.”

Kara’s eyes filled with tears. “I don’t know anymore. I was wrong. I wasn’t a very good girlfriend to you. I should have fought harder. I should have found another way.”

“No, Kara, don’t say that. There was no time. You helped me. You inspired me. You made me everything I am today. You gave me the courage to fight, fight for others.”

“I sacrificed you,” Kara mouthed quietly.

Mon-El shook his head, his voice full of desperation. “I wanted you to. I wanted to show you that I changed. I wanted to make up for all the hurt my family did. For all the evil I allowed to happen.”

“You shouldn’t have had to.”

His eyes were alight with pain. “It was my choice. You didn’t force me.”

“I didn’t love you enough.”

“Kara…” Mon-El struggled against the crystal holding his arms in place. “Listen to me, Kara, don’t do this to yourself.”

“I…I…” The crystal grew with an ugly crunching sound, now almost reaching his throat. The glow and the strange saccharine smell were growing ever stronger, inviting her to just give in. She could just sink into this feeling and she wouldn’t have to think anymore. Her new powers were an extension of her will. Kara could feel them invading her, seducing her, whispering to her how many people she could save if she just gave in. And if she just let him be safe, peacefully, securely encased in her heart, just like in a crystal.

“I can feel it,” she whispered. “I’m not strong enough. I don’t have the heart.”

“I don’t believe that, Kara. You always had the strongest heart.”

A tear slid down her cheek and she smiled sadly. “I was wrong about you. I miss you. I miss the boy who wasn’t afraid of his own feelings. The one who inspired me not to be afraid of my own.”

“I’m sorry that I wasn’t more honest with you, Kara. I’m sorry for failing you.”

Kara wanted to scream at him and shake him and yell at him that he wasn’t the one who should be apologizing. Her hands grasped his shoulders, fingers digging into his skin. “I can’t stop it.”

If the crystal was going to take him, at least she wanted to go with him. “I’m not leaving you alone. Not again. Not you. Never you.” The Sapphire energy around her had turned into a web of tentacles that had slung around him tying them together, mirroring the way her arms clung to him. Her eyes veiled by tears, she lifted her head upwards and pressed her lips against his. For one heart-stilled moment, she froze. Everything just fell away. The energy along her arms shimmered, becoming more transparent, losing power. It seemed to communicate with the material of the crystal.

A faint memory danced on the edge of consciousness. _Love is about letting yourself be saved_. Slowly she pulled away from his lips and opened her eyes.

“Mon-El!” Kara gasped. “It’s, it’s dissolving.” She cupped his face, the heartbreaking relief so obvious in his dear, familiar eyes.

Kara began to tremble. Everything was beginning to slip away again, her new alien power was dissipating, retracting back into the ring, taking with it the supercharging of her emotions. “I love you, I love you!” Her body shook. “I don’t, I don’t know what is happening to me.”

“You can do it, Kara. Just … just have faith.”

“I’m scared.” She could sense the power of the ring leaving her. “What if when I do this, all of this will go away again?”

Mon-El gave her a pained smile. “I’m scared that it won’t.” Emotion welled up in Kara’s chest. “I’m sorry,” she mouthed. Maybe her connection to her emotions would be severed again as soon as the ring’s influence waned. Mon-El nodded.

Kara closed her eyes and focused, focused her heart on Mon-El and what she wished for him. Slowly the soft purple glow ebbed away. A wobbly feeling rose in her belly. Mon-El caught her as she collapsed.


	4. Chapter 4

“Kara, Kara, talk to me, are you alright?”

Kara gasped, her knees weak. Slowly the purple mist disappeared from her vision and she stared up into a dark green sky, peeking out through the hole they had made in the structure during their battle. “I’m, I’m okay.” She looked around. “Where on Earth are we?”

Mon-El hugged her. “Actually, we’re not on Earth. This is Zamarand, also known as Delta Epsilon 424.”

Kara blinked. “What time is it?”

“It’s the 31st century.” He grabbed her arm and helped her up. “We were tracking a creature called the Antimonitor,” Mon-El explained. “A powerful robot, created many eons ago by the Guardians of the Green Lantern corps. It destroys everything in its wake.”

The young girl Kara had seen on the balcony with Mon-El shyly stepped out of the shadows. Kara tensed up, but the purple skinned alien raised her hands. She seemed friendly enough, but her jet black, irisless eyes took some time to get used to. “I don’t want any quarrel with you.” A group of similarly clad warrior women armed with energy staffs appeared behind her in the various alcoves of the grim underground structure. Kara straightened her back and found her commanding Supergirl voice, effortlessly slipping back into her professional persona. “Are you the one who is behind all this?”

The girl bowed. “No, I am Ghia'ta. My mother, queen Aga'po, brought you here. We have seen what is coming and our home is in great peril. We hope to draw many great warriors to our cause.”

Kara made a sweeping gesture, pointing towards the hundreds of creatures encased in crystal. “Is that what happens to them?”

Ghia'ta bowed her head. “No. They are what binds our warriors, what grounds them, what lets them fight, fueled by love. You have great power, Kara Zor-El. Our offer to you still stands. My mother would be honored to have you fight among us. Our Star Sapphire ring has looked into your heart and found great strength in you. It will make you more powerful than ever before. We can help each other.” Kara and Mon-El exchanged a quick glance. What strange customs did this planet have? They had to be very powerful in their own right if they had managed to pluck her out of history from the other side of the universe.

“What you are doing isn’t right,” Kara announced. She grabbed the ring that still clung to her finger and pulled. Slowly stripping the powerful alien artifact from her finger, she approached the young princess. “Here, take this,” Kara said, presenting it to their alien host, “Sorry. I cannot join you. Here, I don’t want it.” She looked at Mon-El. “I have everything I need.”

The girl shrunk back in shock. “Nobody has ever turned down a Star Sapphire ring.”

Kara took the girl’s hand and closed it around the ring. “I don’t need it.”

“But the power of love makes us stronger,” Ghia'ta insisted. “Only it can bring true peace to the universe.”

Kara’s lips formed a melancholy smile. “I know, but I think I have to get there on my own. I don’t require your power.”

“I don’t understand.”

“One thing I learned is that…” Kara cleared her throat. She shot Mon-El a brief glance. “Love is not something to be used up and consumed. Love is cooperation. Love is sacrifice.”

Ghia'ta shook her head. “If you give him to the crystal, he’ll be safe, he’ll be happy. He’ll never betray you. He’ll always be yours. And he’ll be safe from all danger that is coming. You’ll be stronger than you’ve ever been before.”

Kara shook her head. “That’s not what love is about.“

Mon-El stepped forward. “What unites us is more than just happiness.” He threw her a glance, making sure they were in agreement. “When we first met,” he explained to the young girl, “we didn’t even like or trust each other, but over time we found a connection through the kindness of our hearts. And that’s what mattered, more than anything. Supergirl changed my life and that will connect us, always. Whether we are together or not.”

“Even when we quarrel, there is more that unites us than what separates us.” Kara took a deep breath. “Stronger together,” she concluded.

The Zamaronian girl’s eyes flickered back and forth between them. She extended her hand, placing it on Kara’s shoulder. Her eyelids fell shut, covering her almost insectoid jet black eyes. Her mouth opened and emanated an unsettling hum. The alien princess opened her eyes again.

“Why would you do this, if it causes you so much pain?”

Kara’s lips formed a sad smile. “It’s the only thing I know. But pain, pain isn’t something to run away from. It’s something you live through and at the end of it, there’s always hope and the bonds you have formed.”

_Stronger together._

Ghia'ta let her hand drop from Kara’s shoulder and dipped her head in agreement. “I was blessed to meet you, Kara Zor-El. You have shown me a different kind of future.”

Kara’s heart tightened up. All she could hope was that Ghia'ta would fare better than some of the others in her life had. “I wish you all the best,” she murmured. “I hope that you’ll be able to turn your mother’s heart.”

The girl smiled. “Oh, I will.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Good speech,” Mon-El said under his breath as the girl turned around to speak to the Zamaronian warriors, switching towards a language made up of exotic short chirps. 

“Thanks, I try.” Kara murmured absent-mindedly. It wasn’t often that she lost control like that and the experience had left her feeling shaken. She looked to Mon-El. “What do we do now?”

He frowned. “I think I have a set of Legionnaires who still need to be freed from some crystals.”

Kara nodded. “I’ll help,” she murmured, feeling a bit sheepish. Bracing herself, she focused her heat vision on the first row of crystals, carefully cutting open a gap for its prisoner. Just as she was about to turn her attention to the next one, a mighty trident burrowed in the ground next to her. 

“Cease, Kryptonian!”

The queen descended, flanked by her warriors. Her eyes were a blank cold blue and there was a harsh twist to her mouth. 

“Mother!”

“Ghia'ta, this is no matter for young girls. You have proven that you are not ready.” The queen seized Kara up. “Why did you release the Daxamite?”

Kara put her hands on her hips. “You had no right to keep him.”

The queen’s nostrils flared in anger. “It was his place.” Her guards started to close in. 

“Step back, queen Aga'po,” Kara roared. “Release the prisoners you have taken at once!”

Aga'po took flight and snarled, her eyes burning with indignation. “My cause is righteous. And my methods are the only way to achieve victory. You have no right to judge me.”

Kara paused. She collected her thoughts. Maybe the queen could still be reached. “I know what it’s like to lose everything, but I tell you, there is always another way. I won’t let you wage war on the backs of your victims.”

Aga'po swept her hand through the air. “They feel no pain. They are happy. They are safe.”

“They weren’t given the choice to make this sacrifice.”

The queen scoffed. “They are men. They need to be gentled by love’s fearsome light. I’m sure you know this, Supergirl. Their hearts are imperfect. They cannot be trusted to wield love’s true power.”

Mon-El descended to join them. “Queen Aga'po, please, let them help. Give them this choice. Weare all imperfect, yet we all wish to help.”

“Men are selfish. They don’t know how to see past their own needs.”

Kara scoffed at her. “I will free your prisoners.”

The queen shook her head. “I can’t let that happen.” She turned to her guards. “Seize them!” 

Kara nodded at Mon-El. They both took flight in synch, back to back, shielding each other. 

“Target their staffs. If you hit the ring below the crown, you can disable them,” Mon-El called out to her. 

“Understood!” Kara felt him dive away, towards the warrior with the most complex ornaments on her pauldrons. Readying her heat vision, she swept around, cursing that losing the Star Sapphire outfit had left her in her CatCo garb and hence without a cape to balance her flight. Still, she managed to roll below the purple energy beams headed for her, taking out several staffs in the process. 

“Unleash the cephalon!” the queen screamed. The alien warriors fanned out immediately, withdrawing from direct engagement, to leave room in their midst instead. Their intention soon became apparent. 

A transparent beast, as large as a football field and seemingly consisting mostly of a gaping maw and a variety of grasping feelers, rose from the ground. Kara gulped and readied herself. She didn’t know the powers of the other Legionnaires, but usually, there was a good chance that her heat vision would be their only way to fight the creature at range. 

Mon-El rose up in the air beside her. 

“Got any telepaths with you?” 

Mon-El shook his head. “Jericho stayed behind at the outpost.”

Kara grabbed Mon-El’s arm to steady herself and let the heat vision spark from her eyes. The blue beams cut neatly through the creature, completely unimpeded. The creatures unfurled, striking at them with its tentacles. Kara gasped in shock. They had narrowly evaded the attack, but it had come close enough for her to realize the cephalon’s limbs burned her skin like fire. 

Before she could react, the girl Ghia'ta dashed through the air and threw herself in front of the creature. She raised her arms towards it. Concentric rings of glowing purple energy emanated from her hands, calming the beast. Spontaneously sated, it gurgled happily and whipped its tail. 

Enraged, the queen soared towards them, flanked by her honor guard. 

Ghia'ta turned around to face them. 

“Mother, please! You can’t do this. Listen to me, we’ve been working from an imperfect understanding of love.”

The queen whirled around, glaring at her daughter. “What are you talking about?” The young purple alien shrunk back, cowering instinctively, but ultimately refusing to budge. “We need to listen to them. We have isolated ourselves for too long. We have forgotten what love is truly about. We have to look beyond ourselves.” She nodded in the direction of Kara. “Supergirl and Mon-El taught me this.” Before queen Aga'po could react, her daughter snatched her arm and brought their hands together. Their Sapphire rings lit up, pulsing in quiet communication. Something unspoken passed between them before Aga'po yanked her hand from her daughter’s grasp. 

“You are too easily swayed,” the queen chided. 

“I promise, I’m not,” Ghia'ta replied, bowing respectfully. 

The queen’s eyes narrowed. She turned towards Kara. “I will yield to my daughter. For now. It was wrong of us to take you. We will return you to your time and planet.” Her eyes glowed. “I had hoped to add your strength to ours and that you could have been our savior yet.”

Kara exchanged a quick look with Mon-El. “The Legion has my full confidence. They are my allies.”

“We shall see,” the queen replied. 

“Um,” Mon-El interrupted. “I’m going to need my companions back.” The queen stared at him. Mon-El pointed at a pixie sized green alien with bat-like ears and a towering Nidaran, both clad in the uniforms of the Star Sapphires. Aga'po raised her hands and the rings the two Legionnaires were carrying dimmed, the clothes retracting from their bodies and revealing their Legion outfits underneath. The pixie girl struggled, arms helplessly grasping the air, losing flight. The Nidaran instinctively caught her in her palm. 

“It’s a pity that you shall leave,” the queen said. “We will need all the help we can get in our war against the Manhunters.”

Mon-El bowed. “We thank you for your trust, queen Aga'po. Should our mission be successful, the Manhunters will never reach your planet.”

The queen frowned. “Either way, we will be prepared.”

Mon-El nodded. “We’ll be in touch.”

The queen tensed up and they took flight before Aga'po could change her mind.


	6. Chapter 6

Kara didn’t recognize the Legion ship; it seemed to be a smaller, more agile model. Their small group reached it after a short flight. It opened its hatch for them as they approached, letting them slip on board and allowing them a breath of relief as they moved onto the bridge. 

Everybody instantly took their positions in front of various control panels and before long they were in orbit over Zamaron. At this point the other Legionnaires swiveled around in their chairs, and suddenly all eyes were on her. 

“Is this…?” the pixie girl was the first one to blurt out what must have been on everyone’s mind. 

“Yes.” Mon-El smiled broadly. “This is Supergirl herself.”

Kara blushed and nodded. It still always threw her that she was a celebrity to all these fellow heroes from the future. 

“You came and saved us?” the pixie girl chirped. 

“In a way,” Kara mumbled. “Technically, it was a bit of an accident.” 

“Are you coming with us?”

“No, Shalima, Supergirl has to return to her own time. Fight her own battles. Isn’t that right, Supergirl?”

The Nidaran plopped down in the chair in front of the Legion ship’s nav console, flipping an assortment of colorful switches. “The Star Sapphires have transmitted instructions on how to coordinate Supergirl’s journey back to her time.” She looked over her shoulder. “We are going to need your help.” 

Mon-El nodded. “Will do.” He leaned over Kara’s shoulder. “We should talk.”

“Yes, we should,” she murmured under her breath. 

Mon-El pulled her aside. “The Zamaronian ring, did it influence you?”

Kara nodded. “It did.” It had torn away her inner walls and opened the floodgates to her emotions, had heightened and catalyzed them. “But I don’t want to take back what I said,” she added quickly. “We do have a lot to talk about.”

“Yes, I want to.”

“You do?” she asked shyly. 

Mon-El squeezed her hands tightly, pulling them in close. “More than anything in the world.” Kara felt her heart flutter in response. She remembered how she had felt when she had stepped through the portal and laid eyes on him. The pure joy that had flooded through her. Could that be wrong? It sure didn’t feel like that. 

All she knew was that she felt it still even though the mysterious ring that had called them together was nowhere to be seen anymore. “I liked how I felt, when, when I saw you. I don’t want to lose that again. I don’t want to go back to, to having to hold my distance.” There were so many unanswered questions. Where would they go from here? How had the merge of the multiverses affected the Legion, affected him? How long would he be able to preserve that pure feeling in the heart before she was overtaken by doubt again? 

Wordlessly, Mon-El pulled her into his arms and just held her tight. Kara’s eyes fluttered shut and any unease evaporated from her body as she leaned into him. 

“I got you,” he murmured.

“Yeah, you do.” She clutched him, held him close. Just like it used to be between them. “Better now,” she whispered. 

And it was. After he had returned from the future, he had felt so far away, even as they stood, shoulder to shoulder. No more. She could stand like that forever. 

“Are you two friends?” the Nidaran poked her head in and asked, her tethers curling towards the ceiling. 

Mon-El slowly pulled out of their embrace. He smiled at Kara. “Let me put it this way: we have known each other for a long time.” 

The pixie girl appeared on the hefty Nidaran’s shoulder. “Are you leaving us, Mon-El?” Her wings fluttered nervously.“You can’t leave us, Mon-El! We need you!”

Mon-El frowned, then turned to Kara. “I have to…”

“I understand.” 

Mon-El sought her eyes, his expression full of worry. Kara smiled encouragingly. “I mean it. I do.” Her heart beats softly, achingly, with just the tiniest bit of hope. “A little bit more time. It won’t make a difference.”

“Promise?” he asked. 

“Promise. You go and take care of your family.”

And for the first time, him using those words to refer to the people that waited for him in a faraway future didn’t make Kara’s chest flare up in pain. Because, this time, in her heart she knew that he’d be back.


End file.
